"UK Athletics is proud of the fact that we conduct a full programme of in and out-of-competition testing alongside targeted testing to ensure we do all we can to protect those athletes who compete fairly," said Moorcroft.

"We are mindful of the fact that this may lead to adverse findings and that publicity resulting from a positive finding can hurt the sport.

"But we feel this is a price worth paying to keep the sport clean."

Chambers' legal team argued that THG is not specifically listed on the International Association of Athletics Federations' (IAAF) list of prohibited substances.

However, the UK Athletics Disciplinary Committee was "satisfied" that THG is "chemically or pharmacologically related" to a substance on the banned list.